Benefits of Banning Older Vehicles on Delhi’s Air Quality

April 20th, 2015

In November, 2014, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) proposed to ban on all vehicles older than 15 years on the roads of Delhi, and introduce congestion tax, in order to address the growing air pollution problem in the city. It is a known fact that older vehicles are the most polluting. In 2014, a 15-year span includes vehicles introduced in 1999 or 2000, when the first set of the Bharat fuel standards (equivalent of Euro fuel standards) were introduced. In 2014, all the newer vehicles are of Bharat-IV standard and the fuel supplied at Delhi’s petrol stations is compliant with Bharat-IV fuel standards. Outside the National Capital Territory, fuel is of Bharat-III standard, which is used by most of the heavy duty trucks and long distance buses.

In April, 2015, the ban was extended to also include the petrol vehicles. Below is our assessment of the likely impact of banning 10 year old diesel vehicles and 15 year old petrol vehicles in Delhi.